Pope Francis has reached Singapore, the Vatican said on Wednesday, the last destination on the 87-year-old pontiff’s 12-day journey through South-East Asia – the longest trip of his tenure so far.
This journey encompassed stops in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and East Timor, all of which are marked by widespread poverty. In Singapore, however, one of the wealthiest countries in the world, he will greet a very different group of worshippers.
Of the city-state’s 6 million inhabitants, only 176,000 are Catholics, according to the Vatican, as most of the population has Chinese roots.
Alongside meetings with political and religious representatives, a major church service is also on the agenda for Francis on Thursday.
The pope is then due to return to Rome on Friday evening, concluding his journey which began in Indonesia and took him to four countries in South-East Asia and Oceania.
